as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
extremely waspish, she uses her wit viciously when irritated
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of waspish
The book brings to life characters such as the waspish U.S. Army general Joseph Stilwell and the eccentric U.S. ambassador Patrick Hurley.
—
Richard Bernstein, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2014
Among the waspish regulars of the Algonquin Round Table, Robert Benchley cut a relatively docile figure.
—New York Times, 11 May 2022
At his waspish best, Mr. Wheatcroft is entertaining on all this.
—Richard Aldous, WSJ, 8 Oct. 2021
The waspish Queen – played by Rebecca Trehearn, whose deliciously withering grandeur would give Marie Antoinette pause — is not, to put it mildly, pleased.
—David Benedict, Variety, 19 Aug. 2021
The author takes a waspish tone that doesn’t always enhance his arguments, but the book is an excellent distillation of a complicated menace.
—Barton Swaim, WSJ, 26 Feb. 2021
The portrait of prewar upper-class English life is superb, the characters are vividly drawn and the comedy, as always in Waugh, is by turns waspish, warm and knockabout.
—John Banville, WSJ, 2 Oct. 2020
Once again, waspish commentators noted, an American woman has caused a ruction in the royal family.
—Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2020
Bening is capable of being waspish, consoling, frail, indomitable, and woebegone – sometimes all at once.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 May 2018
Richard Bernstein, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2014
Among the waspish regulars of the Algonquin Round Table, Robert Benchley cut a relatively docile figure.
—New York Times, 11 May 2022
At his waspish best, Mr. Wheatcroft is entertaining on all this.
—Richard Aldous, WSJ, 8 Oct. 2021
The waspish Queen – played by Rebecca Trehearn, whose deliciously withering grandeur would give Marie Antoinette pause — is not, to put it mildly, pleased.
—David Benedict, Variety, 19 Aug. 2021
The author takes a waspish tone that doesn’t always enhance his arguments, but the book is an excellent distillation of a complicated menace.
—Barton Swaim, WSJ, 26 Feb. 2021
The portrait of prewar upper-class English life is superb, the characters are vividly drawn and the comedy, as always in Waugh, is by turns waspish, warm and knockabout.
—John Banville, WSJ, 2 Oct. 2020
Once again, waspish commentators noted, an American woman has caused a ruction in the royal family.
—Washington Post, 9 Jan. 2020
Bening is capable of being waspish, consoling, frail, indomitable, and woebegone – sometimes all at once.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 May 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for waspish
Adjective
-
Despite its self-destructive proclivities, the irritable giant has managed to make, and keep, a friend.—
Robin George Andrews,
New York Times,
22 July 2025
-
Determined to make a clean SPF, Brown says a chemical formula was out of the question (chemical sunscreens are often thought to be unsafe for the coral reef and irritable to sensitive skin types).—
Kiana Murden,
Vogue,
9 July 2025
Adjective
-
Chicago Police Department brass accused Mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration of deliberately slowing down paychecks for dozens of employees this summer in a fiery email that warned the city was jeopardizing its compliance with the federal consent decree.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
22 July 2025
-
In another, cucumber kimchi, a fresh and crunchy side dressed in gochujang with a fiery kick that cuts through the richness filling the rest of my tray.—
Rachel Bernhard,
jsonline.com,
22 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Waspish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/waspish. Accessed 1 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share